January 7, 2009
A Very Hard Decision
It was a very hard decision to pull Chloe out of grade primary now and send her to a private pre-school for the next six months, then send her back to grade primary again in September this year. I know she likes school, she likes her teacher and she is learning really well. From singing Christmas carols to writing out our phone number this evening. But as parents we need to make sure she is adequate and is prepared for the school environment, instead of struggling with her lessons.
We already knew that she didn’t recognize all her ABCs and 123s, but we had thought that that was the whole point of Grade primary, a place to learn the early stuff. Alas, we were so ill-informed and for that I feel terribly sorry for my daughter. Had we known that they had expected so many things of the little ones, we would not have let her go to Grade Primary this year. See, due to her age she normally wouldn’t have been able to start regular school yet this year anyway. As much as Chloe wants to go back to her current teachers class on some days and speaks well of her, we feel that another 6 months in the class is not gonna do her well and in fact may scar her. Having a child stressed up about school is not a good thing and during the last few days, the closer we got to school going back in session after the holiday, the more she would complain of tummy aches, and make frequent trips to the bathroom.
So we hunted down some pre-schools and chose one which we felt comfy with, a woman with 23 yrs of experience under her belt, so we trust that Chloe will excel. The setting of this private pre-school is almost classroom like but in a more relaxed atmosphere, I can see how understanding this teacher is just from talking with her for a half hour. So I just want to let everyone know that this decision was a very hard one for us, and we only confirmed the placement at the pre-school today, so yes we have given it a lot of thought. We thank everyone for their support during this very trying time and appreciate everyones concern. I will update with Chloe’s progress in this new & private pre-school.
great to hear this. i’m sure chloe will also enjoy this school very much. a good decision, MB
Comment by mommy to chumsy — January 7, 2009 @ 1:23 am
Sometimes as parents we have to make difficult decisions especially regarding our children’s education. After all, we only want the best for them. I am certain Chloe will thrive in this new pre-school and be much more confident when she enters grade primary in fall 2009.
Comment by Charmaine — January 7, 2009 @ 7:28 am
Thanks for this post, MB. I got a lot of learning to do from you. Anyways, you’re correct, parents do know best
Was Chloe going to kindie or grade 1?
Comment by Irene — January 7, 2009 @ 3:58 pm
I’m sure this decision is for the best. It can get quite competitive in grade school, so it’s better to be well prepared
Comment by dilutedmagnetics — January 8, 2009 @ 4:12 am
Thanks for sharing. I recvd many comments from ppl I know about my choice of sending my boy to school when he’s barely 3. But after reading your entries, I think I’ve made the right decision. Feel so much better now..
Comment by etceteramommy — January 17, 2009 @ 8:45 am
She’s progressed a lot since she’s been attending the new school. She dialed the stores number on her little cell phone the last time that I was there, and I was so happy for her!!!!
Comment by Taylor — January 17, 2009 @ 7:39 pm